Sunday, 4 November 2012

It's been a while.... you could reasonable assume thatt I am stuck in some kind of parallel renovation world where you never see the light of day... only dust.. endless dust.

I'm not, I am simply tardy with my posting! Project Loft Space is well and truly finished, much to the satisfaction of all and it has worked our rather well.

As I believe I have mentioned, simplicity was key here, the space is a beaut in its own right. Double height ceiling, open plan an abundance of natural light. In this country with our dank Northern light it is tricky to do white well but here the light bounces off the walls and emphasises the magnitude of space.

The floor, was, initially a bit of a conundrum. A wood laminate (of sorts), a pale orange shade (of sorts), it wasn't ideal and because there was so much of it the impact was immense. We toyed with various solutions - rubber flooring, new wood, natural wood, tiles even at one point (not a personal favourite). But with budget in mind we opted for painting... a risky choice with such a thin wood, not designed for sanding. Still we like to live life on the edge and by 'ec it worked a treat. The paint of choice, a commercial grade floor paint was comparable to laying a sheet of rubber, so thick and durable. It really looks fantastic and creates a brilliant canvass for the rest of the space.

Once again though it is the smaller details that really make the difference to my eyes. In this case the radiators, it took some persuasion convincing our client that this not insubstantial investment would be worth it. But their natural gun metal patina they stand out an jewel in this urban crown. A thing of beauty to behold. The client, on the other hand, was in most raptures about his new commercial kitchen tap.

As a man who works in commercial kitchens, it was all about the stainless steel, ALL about stainless steel, if we had let him apply it to the walls to live in a stainless steel box he would. But evidence, once again, that when re-inventing an interior, it really is important to be true to the building you are in. In a city centre loft space like this, stainless steel works a treat.

The photos here unfortunately do it no justice but it is amazing what a difference a spot of painting, some wall construction a new kitchen and alot of steel can do to a place.